Adopt-an-Alp: Swiss Mountain Cheeses are Here!
Caroline Hostettler, a Swiss native, is one of the OGs of the artisanal cheese world, having done more for the movement than just about anyone else. In 2013, she started the Adopt-an-Alp program, matching Swiss cheesemakers — those who still summer in remote mountain meadows — with American vendors committed to sustaining these old ways. The reason is simple: the exceptional flavors that emerge when livestock graze on more than 150 distinct alpine grasses and herbs.
Swiss mountain cheeses are one-of-a-kind delights, made by families who embrace an ancient form of pastoral production that involves moving their herds to high-altitude pastures in the Alps each summer, then back to lower elevations when winter nears. Although this practice began more than 8,000 years ago, it is now a way of life under threat in modern times.
Adopt-an-Alp tells the stories of the families behind these cheeses and helps reach a wider audience. Retailers who participate are guaranteed a share of the cheese from their chosen alp, some of which produce very limited quantities. We’ve been supporting this program for years and love introducing our customers to these rare treasures.
Below are the first of our Swiss mountain cheeses. Come in for a taste—once they’re gone, they’re gone!
Glarner Alpkäse – Alp Heuboden (Glarus, Switzerland): 1/2
The Tschudi family moves their herd among four huts throughout the summer. When they reach the highest one, it’s so remote that a helicopter must deliver their provisions and carry freshly made cheese wheels down to the communal AOP cheese cellar. Fritz Tschudi’s cheese is a study in elegance: balanced aromas and flavors of sweet cream, light smoke, floral notes, and fresh herbs. A subtle, humble, and exceptionally fine cheese!
Raclette – Alp Maran (Graubünden, Switzerland): 1/2
The Alp belongs to the community at the foot of it, Chur. They make raclette year-round on Maran: Alp cheese during the summer, when the animals are up there, mountain cheese during the other months, when the herd grazes on lower pastures.
Vacherin Fribougeois – Alp Gantrischli (Fribourg, Switzerland): 1.25 wheels
Vacherin Fribourgeois, a rare and pungent Alpine cheese, is the original Swiss fondue cheese, crafted by only a few skilled producers. This particular wheel is among the funkiest, creamiest, and purest Vacherin Fribourgeois d’Alpage you’ll find. Made in chalets perched on lush hills above Lake Gruyère, it’s a seasonal delight that will make you excited for winter.
Berner Hobelkäse AOP 2022
In a setting in the Bernese Alps worthy of a postcard, cheesemaker Ernst Reichenbach produces between one and three wheels of Berner Hobelkäse AOP over an open fire each day of the summer. It has a compact, hard texture with no openings. The flavors range from burnt sugar, cream, and butter to tangy and piquant. The 2022 vintage is full of tyrosine crystals and can be served cut, broken, or even shaved.